Ragamuffin's Shadow
by battlefield-unspoken
Summary: “A demon?” “More like a flesh eating spirit trapped inside a cuddly two ton dragon.” Artha and Beau meet an unusual 'dragon' and his sidekick.
1. Grey Storm Saving

don't own dragon booster (but if i did they would still be airing it!!)

maybe more to come i just need to touch it up : )

"Who's that?"

The crew of Penn racing all stopped to look at whatever had caught Artha's attention. Walking towards the registration table was a dragon of the strangest markings. The build was similar to Beau, but this dragon was very strangely colored. His body was a storm grey with the legs fading into a deep black. More unusual then that was that he was covered in what looked like ancient tribal markings that swirled over his eyes, down his legs, and to the tip of his tail in the colors of rich blue and amethyst. "A quad colored dragon?" Kitt's voice broke the silence. She crossed her arms, obviously annoyed. "Is that even possible?"

"I guess so." Artha replied, still watching until the dragon and rider disappeared from view. Artha then turned his attention back to Beau. "Well maybe the race will be _more_ interesting than usual." Beau sighed at his rider's comment.

"That was Shadow Hatake and her dragon KantaKetu. Apparently this is her first race." Parm's ever booming voice explained.

"Her first race? Isn't this a little too much? She's gonna get hurt running with the big boys." Artha teased.

"Ahem." Kitt cleared her voice, correcting Artha. "You know what I mean."

"Alright- now do you have all of your gear?"

"Yeah, I think so Parm. I was a little worried about the selection but I think this is best."

"Alright. Now do you remember the plan?"

"Um, finish before the other guy?" Artha smirked down at the professor, who only glared back. "I know, I know. Keep all inactivated gear in the lowest setting. And stay away from green, blue, and purple over there."

"Right." Just before Parm and Kitt left Artha and Beau however, the grey dragon came into the gate, two gates down from Artha. "Does- does she have no gear on that dragon?!" Parm's head was steaming. "But that's impossible. You cannot finish a Dragon City race on a dragon alone." Strangely, the grey dragon turned towards where Parm was standing, looked at him a minute then snorted and shook his head. His rider reached down and scratched his shoulder. "How much do you bet she can't control him?" Kitt spat out.

"We'll find out soon enough."

The light turned green. The riders broke and jockeyed for position. Artha managed to get Beau out of the initial chaos and continued his way down the track, a few riders still in front of him. One of them, he noticed, being a storm grey. Beau and Artha reached the flat desert area. "Alright boy, let's go!" Artha activated his red thruster gear and shot by the other four riders. The last rider they needed to pass was the grey and then they were in the lead. Artha couldn't help but cheer, "Wahoo!!" Beau was still strong. Artha was feeling proud until-

Artha yelled as Beau dropped off what seemed like the end of the Earth. It was quite possibly the deepest hole Artha had ever cared to see. He _really _did not wnat to find out how deep it actaully was. Beau managed to dig his claws in so they didn't fall in deeper. "Good boy," Artha thanked his dragon. Beau just snorted. They had little chance of getting out of here on their own. Beau started sliding down again. Artha threw the thrusting gear back on, hoping to help. It was in vain and only drained Beau's energy quicker. "Great." Artha muttered. Suddenly Artha was being pulled out of the saddle. "Whoa- hey Beau stop!" The dragon released the mag. "I'm not gonna leave you." Artha petted Beau's neck. "Thanks boy." His dragon was trying to protect him.

The sound of thundering feet drew closer and then there was a flash of white.

"Is that-" Before Artha could say another word, white cling gear attached itself to Beau and the saddle. "What the-?" The gear activated and began pulling Beau out of the hole. Beau struggled to claw his way out and with the help of the gear, they were finally able to stand on the surface once more. As they neared the top of the hole, a familiar grey dragon came into focus. "I don't believe it." Artha whispered. Beau stood and shook, glad to be able to relax now. The gear retreated into the other dragon's saddle. The girl gave Beau and Artha a once over but before Artha could thank her she turned and continued on with the race. "Do you think we just made a new friend?" Beau watched as the other dragon disappeared out of view. "I don't believe it! The new comer Shadow Hatake is STILL in the lead and under the wire! We have a winner folks and I'd keep my eye on this girl if I were you!"


	2. Try Me

Kitt had barely said a word since the end of the race. "She must have cheated. She didn't even have any gear on!"

"She had white cling gear." Artha commented smartly.

"Aughh." Kitt stomped away.

"Hey Artha." The man bowed.

"Hey Khatah" Artha responded. "Quite the race, huh?"

"Indeed. What a strange newcomer. However, her ability to enhance her dragon's speed like that without any gear- she's almost as good as the Inner Order."

"Yeah, she's good alright." Artha smirked.

"I tried speaking to her but that dragon- what a brute! The other is no better."

Artha stared at Khatah, unsure if he had heard right. "Two dragons?"

"Yes and they must be top breeding. I've never seen such high class dragons before." With that, Khatah turned and left. Artha wondered about the other dragon. Was he as strange as the grey? "We'll know soon enough, Beau. We still have to thank her for saving us." And so Artha headed over to where the other tents were set up. It wasn't hard to find her tent amongst the crowds.

So this is what Khatah meant. The dragons stadning near her were an entirely different breed. Their build and stature was off the charts. Their hind legs were long under perfect quarters, giving them a slight downhill conformation, but it was lethal on the track. The other dragon was standing out front with the grey, and if Artha had to guess, that dragon would be even faster than the grey. Artha hadn't taken two steps towards the tent when the dragon spun and charged him. The grey sauntered over out of the tent, also blocking Artha from coming closer to the tent. However, the grey was not nearly as savage as the black, purple, and blue dragon currently growling at Artha. This wasn't looking good.

"Ketu?" A girl's voice rang out from the inside of the tent. The grey dragon turned to his girl, careful to stay between her and Artha. The other dragon quickly stepped in to balance the void left, still growling.

"Can I help you?" A voice asked.

Artha looked past the oversized guard dog to see the racer.

"Uh, well, I just wanted to thank you and I guess, well, uh, congratulations! Ha-ha." Artha scratched his head, feeling rather awkward. The girl was practically hidden behind her dragon. The dragon however, seemed to give her courage.

She spoke quietly but there was strength in her voice, "Thank you. You and your dragon are very close. It's good to see that in racing."

Now Artha relaxed. "Me and Beau? We're inseparable!"

She laughed a soft sound. Her dragon nudged her, as if encouraging her laughter. She playfully pushed his head away before continuing, "I know the feeling. Ketu and I are very close. Ao, however," she motioned towards the black dragon, "has his own alliances. Thanks again, Artha. Good luck."

"Thanks! And good luck to you too!" She nodded and waved. Artha turned and left. But before he went around the corner, he turned to look once more. Ketu had lowered his head and Shadow was giving him a hug. She pulled back and gave a kiss on the nose. Then the dragon magged her up on her back and they rode off.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Artha was in the middle of tacking Beau when Kitt approached.

"They're throwing your girl out of the circuit."

"What?!" Artha spun to face Kitt, who crossed her arms and stared at him.

"They're accusing her of cheating somehow."

"And you're on their side?" Artha asked, disappointed.

"No, I'm not." She looked him square in the eye, "Because you believe her."

Artha hugged her. "Thanks, Kitt."

"No problem Stable boy. Just see if you can help her. They're pretty riled up."

With that, Artha rushed over to Shadow's tent.

"What are you trying to pull, girl? Whose dragons did you steal?"

More yelling from the crowd. But the girl just turned away, as if use to this kind of treatment. Her grey dragon, Ketu, glared once more at the spectators before following her back into the tent. Artha was too shocked for words. It looked like almost every racer had gathered in a mob outside the tent. They demanded her to leave, that she needed to return the dragons to their owners and accept her punishment.

A loud roar sent the crowd shrieking and running as the other dragon, Ao, came charging through. Following behind him, much to Artha's shock, was Beau.

"Now she's trying to steal Penn's dragon! Another good one to add to her collection."

As pleased as he was to hear his dragon being praised, Artha couldn't help but think something was wrong. Pushing through the crowd, Artha got to Beau. The dragon turned and seemed to call Artha over there. "What's wrong Beau?" Despite his belief in Shadow, Artha did a quick once over to check Beau for control gear. Beau seemed agitated by this and pushed Artha in the direction of Shadow's tent where she had headed in with Ketu moments before.

"Do you think Ketu's gonna hurt me?" Artha asked Beau. Beau glared at him. "Okay, okay. I think you've got a little crush going on Beau."

The next thing Artha knew he was flung through the door of the tent, courtesy of Beau's patented head butt. Artha braced himself, preparing for the worst from Ketu.

"It's Ao you have to watch out for, not Ketu."

Artha opened his eyes, surprised to find himself with all his limbs intact. "Uh- why's that?"

"Like the crowd said. Ao's not my dragon." She responded, not looking at Artha.

"Whose is he then?"

"He belonged to a friend." Shadow continued packing.

"So why don't you give him back?"

"I would, but Ao almost died last time waiting for him to come back. Can't take very good care of you dragon if you're dead right?" Shadow slammed the last of her things into a bag. "So now you know. I'd rather you not tell the crowd though. Let them think I stole these two. It's easier."

Outside, the crowd had grown very quiet. Whether it was in fear or awe of the dragon that stood before them Artha didn't know. Ao ignored their stares. The dragon was every racer's dream. He showed power, strenght, and beauty. Shadow walked out with Artha, Ketu following behind. Her gear was all packed and she was preparing to leave, just as the mob had demanded.

"She can't keep a dragon with that kind of potential. He'll be ruined!" A racer yelled.

Shadow grinned evilly, "How's this? If you want him- try and take him." A few racers took up the offer. Artha wasn't sure if he should try and stop them. Part of him knew they would get hurt, but they deserved it for what they had done. Sure enough, Ao spun and glared at the men. They froze. Ao lowered his head and seemed to size them up. The riders misinterpreted this as a welcoming gesture from the dragon and continued their cautious approach. Ao charged, scattering the racers and the crowd back.

Amongst the chaos, gear was thrown in attempt to restrain Ao in a hope to obtain the spectacular dragon- black trapping gear, energy drains. Ao obliterated them all with his mag power.

"What a brute! He doesn't belong here!"

"Make up your minds." The crowd quieted and turned to the voice. Shadow was seated on Ketu. "He's powerful- you could win every race on him. Unfortunately no one here understands that. You think only about controlling your dragon- not about releasing their power and letting them share it with you." Ao walked over to Shadow. She scratched him from Ketu's back. "Dragons of this potential are wasted on humans like you." With that, she left. Even her exit left the crowd on awe. It was perfectly silent, no sound of thundering feet- it was like spirits disappearing. Artha's hands shook in rage. They had treated her so cruelly. Yet she had proven to be one of the fastest racers out there. More importantly, she shared the kind of bond the Dragon Booster encouraged. Artha looked again at Beau, who was still watching the street where the three had disappeared down. "We'll go tonight. We'll find them."


	3. For Me, Ao

Beau and Artha had gone alone to search for Shadow, but now Artha wished he had some gadget of Parm's to help him. They had been traveling for hours.

"Alright, Beau, we've gotten this far. Now we just need a miracle."

No sooner had Artha said that did a dragon roar off in the distance. Seconds later, a cloud of dust and thundering hooves were headed directly at Beau and Artha.

It was approaching from a cliff overlooking the valley in which Artha and Beau had wandered into. Artha recognized the charging grey dragon.

"Ketu!" Artha yelled, hoping the dragon would recognize them in time. Ketu must have because he stopped, watching them from a cliff a respectable distance away.

Then Beau did something Artha almost never saw him do. Beau bowed to the other dragon. Artha was confused but showed his respects as well and bowed his head. Ketu returned the bow. And then ran down the side of the cliff, dropping down into the valley. Artha couldn't help but be awed by the dragon's grace.

"Ketu, we need to talk to Shadow." The dragon stared at Artha for a moment and then turned, leading the way. Beau followed behind. There was something more to this then Artha knew, but he could feel it in Beau's step. These were no ordinary dragons- but how did they know Beau?

"Those two go back a ways. I don't suppose you know about the time Beau ran off?" Artha glared at Beau and nodded. "My father was so worried. Beau was gone for almost a month. He thought it was his fault for pushing Beau too hard. He never forgave himself, even when Beau came back."

"Did he seem different?"

"He had scars- that really scared my father. But his energy was way up then what it had been." Shadow nodded. "Beau ran off because he was pushed too hard."

Artha winced, feeling guilty. "How do you know?"

"Because Hadji found him. He said Beau was drained and exhausted. He thought he had been attacked by a hydrag or something."

Artha hugged Beau. "I'm sorry boy." Beau nuzzled Artha, showing no hard feelings towards the boy. Shadow continued with her tale. "Hadji didn't know if Beau would make it so he and Ao merged their energies with Beau. This was risky- as you know Ao is not your ordinary dragon."

"What is he?" Artha demanded looking over at the black dragon. Ao's eyes seemed to bore into Artha's soul, making him feel defenseless but at the same time entranced by cleverness behind these eyes.

"He's a demon."

Artha could say nothing. "Not possible."

Shadow grinned, "Would you like to test that theory?" Ao snorted cheerfully, obviously up for a challenge. Beau sighed, as if used to the dragon's haughty nature.

Artha took back his comment, "No thanks."

Shadow laughed, "Good choice."

"A demon?"

"More like a flesh eating spirit trapped inside a cuddly two ton dragon." Artha raised a brow, curious. "What?" Shadow asked innocently.

"Where did you find him?"

"It wasn't me. Hadji found him. He said he looked half dead but when he touched him their energies merged and they were bound to one another. As you can tell, Ao doesn't act like other dragons. Independent, like a black draconium and intelligent, like- Beau." Ao wandered off at that point. "He's stronger, smarter, and faster than any other dragon but he doesn't use mag energy. He uses something else." Shadow and Artha watched him walk off. "It would be easier if he could tell us where he came from but he was so happy with Hadji. . ." Her voice drifted off.

"What happened to him?"

"They were attacked. He died defending those that he loved. He asked," Shadow paused, keeping her composure, "He asked Ao to watch over Ketu and me. And that he was sorry for leaving him." Ao stood out against the setting sun. They watched the dragon, as he observed the sun. In the last few moments of light the dragon bowed his head, honoring the passing of another day and another promise kept.


End file.
